The fine people at Mastercard have completed this year’s report and the verdict is in. Bangkok, comes up the winner for the second year in a row. Mastercard’s 2017 Global Destination Cities takes a look at 132 cities and rank them according to visitor volume and spending. According to the survey, Bangkok is projected to have about 20.2 million international overnight visitors this year.

Although Dubai comes in 4th, with just over 16 million international overnight visitors, it places at the top in visitor spending. It’s 14.9 million international visitors spent a whopping $28.5 billion, with more than 10% growth forecast for 2017.

International overnight arrivals across all 132 destination cities have increased by more than 55% since 2009.

Hey there people, as always, doing our best to keep you up to date on deals going on. The terms of this sale have it scheduled over a few different periods. The current sale cycle will end on Oct.31st. The next sale period will start on Nov.1st and go through the 31st of January of 2018. Basically, the deal offers customers a discount up to 20, 30 and 50% off on one-way and return fares in Economy and Business Class. The overview is as listed.

UAE, GCC, Jordan and Lebanon:- Up to 50% off

Iran, Iraq and Egypt:- Up to 30% off

Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda:- Up to 30% off

Russia:- Up to 20% off

Austria, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Slovakia, Tajikistan and Ukraine:- Up to 30% off

Armenia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey:- Up to 50% off

Nepal and Sri Lanka:- Up to 30% off

Pakistan and Thailand:- Up to 50% off

The further ahead you book your flight, the better your discount is, so check it out and look into it but don’t take too long making a decision. Time is money and money is well….I guess kind of a big deal right? Click either of the banners to check it out.

After another terror attack in London, the Adviser for National Security H.R. McMaster says the Trump administration is considering a new travel ban. McMaster told ABC’s This Week that “If you can’t screen people effectively to know who’s coming into your country, then you shouldn’t allow people from that country to travel,” and that “This is something that we are looking at.”

Trump said that after “another attack in London by a loser terrorist” that he is calling for “larger, tougher” travel restrictions.

McMaster appeared on Fox News Sunday and was asked about the relationship of the POTUS and the National Security Council. McMaster implied that relations have improved since advisor Steve Bannon has left the White House. Bannon considered McMaster to be a globalist and often found themselves at odds over national security decisions.

When McMaster was asked about Bannon he said, Trump is best served without people who try “to manipulate” a particular decision and “advance your agenda,” and “There were some who tried to operate outside of that process for their own narrow agendas and that didn’t serve the president well.”

President Trump retweeted himself saying that “The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific-but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!”

Hey there! We’re going to be doing lots of posts like this so hopefully you like it and want to check out our other reviews. We need lots of readers! Without readers we get lonely. If we get lonely we get sad. If we get sad then we drink, and we don’t want that do we? Eh, maybe we do. Either way, let’s proceed shall we.

Our first look is at Ocean House in Rhode Island. I love Rhode Island and I say “why not take a look”. Right? Maybe Rhode Island doesn’t pop in mind when thinking of taking a vacation, but maybe it should.

This impressive beachfront hotel was originally constructed in 1868. It has 49 guest rooms and 18 Signature Suites and was completely rebuilt in 2004 an exact replica of itself. It has the bragging rights as one of only 11 hotels in the world with a triple 5 star rating.

If you decide to stay, I suggest upgrading to a suite. You can enjoy 400 thread count linens, a deep soaking tub, a fireplace, and a terrace, to name a few. Take a tour of the room here

Well there you have it. There’s installment number one. Now I know, I know, you’re saying to yourself, “Wow that right there, that was an impressive pick.” Thank you and I know. Would I give you anything less than impressive? I think not. You’ll have to keep checking back or let us keep you posted about this stuff, seriously. Do you know what you’ll be missing out on? Oh not much, just the best travel info on the internet. See you next time!

Rating 9.5/10

The U.S. State Department has recently expanded it’s Travel Warning to Mexico to include some of the county’s most popular vacation hotspots. Tourist destinations included the Riviera Maya, Cancun, and Los Cabos on the Pacific coast. The warning does not suggest not traveling altogether, but it does “warn U.S. citizens about the risk of traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal organizations in those areas.” The recent change has left some to wonder if it’s too dangerous to visit.

Mexico is visited by upwards of 25 million Americans per year, making it the most popular tourist destination for citizens looking to travel outside of the country. The massive resorts, all inclusive packages, cultural sites and big cities are especially attractive when coupled with cheap prices and easy access.

Ok, let’s get to the question. Is it too dangerous to vacation in Mexico. The answer to that is….”it depends”. Chicago is the murder capital of the country, yet there are many areas of the city that are perfectly safe and I wouldn’t think twice about going to. What I mean by this is, as long as you use common sense, your likelihood of being safe should stay in your favor. What are some common sense things to keep in mind? Oh I thought you’d never ask. Let’s review shall we.

Common Sense Rule #1– Do your research. Most likely you’ll research 10 different places to eat, put in at least the same effort for safety. Although nothing is guaranteed and people do get caught at “the wrong place at the wrong time”, it certainly helps your chances.

Common Sense Rule #2– Try to stay at or near the resort or resort sponsored tour. Most crime happens outside of the resorts, and although things do sometimes happen at the resorts, your odds are better just sticking close.

Common Sense Rule #3 – Try not to do any driving, especially at night. You could make it very easy to get yourself lost. Which then leads to a seedy neighborhood, which leads to you being being beaten, which leads you to waking up in a bathtub with your kidney missing.

Common Sense Rule #4 – Take it easy on the booze. This one is self explanatory. Don’t be like uncle Barry, drink 11 margaritas, end up in a small village 23 miles from the resort in his underwear, yelling at the locals about REO Speedwagon. The police report was very amusing. Keep in mind Mexican authorities seized over 10,000 gallons of alcohol at different resorts after allegations of tainted alcohol.

There is an increasing overall feeling in passengers that the actions of TSA agents are growing worse. Although the agents should be there to help, many people just end up feeling harassed. Of coarse you want people to feel safe and secure, but you also want them to feel respected.Skalij, Wally –– B581511472Z.1 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 30, 2011–A TSA agent stops Shay McCall along with her chihuahua before entering an x–ray in Terminal 1 at LAX. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

A spokesman for the TSA says that agents receive training in “general Etiquette” with subjects like, common courtesy and “using appropriate language”. TSA also attempts to solve grievances through their own customer service department, which tracks the issues.

Despite the training, grievances are are the rise. The first three quarters of the year experienced an 8% increase in complaints from the previous year. That’s 12.27 complaints per million passengers. According to Frequent Business Traveler magazine, a poll conducted in 2015 concluded that 87% of passengers polled gave the TSA a “fair or poor” rating.

A few things to take away here. First, the TSA needs to implement a new strategy. One of seeing that what they do is indeed a service that is necessary to the industry. Having the approach of being there to help and serve. Second and somewhat contrary, maybe the rudeness is merely a reflection of a society that has become entirely too rude and disrespectful itself and doesn’t like the image looking back. Something to ponder I suppose. Until next time, here’s a few tips to make that pesky TSA experience a little smoother.

1. Get A Supervisor– If something is going on that you are uncomfortable with. Don’t waste too much time arguing with the agent. Ask to speak to a supervisor and get things moving.